Month: October 2016

Oregon is one of a handful of states that have reported Beverly Hills accidents involving skateboard towing. Emergency room physicians and safety advocates around the world are noting an uptick in the number of so-called skitching accidents, and the injuries they report are serious. In addition to the expected broken bones, ERs have seen patients with spinal fractures and traumatic brain injuries — that is, if the skater has survived the accident at all.

Skateboard towing — also called skitching, longboarding and bumper surfing — is not a new practice. According to seasoned skateboard pros, skitching is a long-accepted mode of transportation in cities like Portland that are friendly to non-motorized vehicles.

Skaters around the country claim that “Back to the Future” had nothing to do with the widespread adoption of skitching. Rather, it came about when city dwellers were pushing their skateboards to work right alongside cars and trucks. The skaters were able to keep up with the commuter traffic, and they soon realized it would be just as easy to hold onto the car in front of them as it would be to push along behind it.

Pros do warn that skitching is a “don’t do this at home, kids” practice. Unskilled skaters and skaters who are just skitching for kicks — “gaming” — should keep off the roads.

Even experienced skitchers can get hurt, though. One man, described by a colleague as a ripper, fell in traffic and was run over by the car behind him. He is now in a wheelchair.

But that was an accident, says another pro. People get hurt in all sorts of activities, but it doesn’t mean the activity is inherently dangerous.

Safety experts — including a neuropsychologist — voice considerable concern about skitching, though. In a car-versus-skateboard accident, the skateboard is going to lose. And skaters tend not to wear enough or appropriate protective gear. As football players have found out, a helmet can’t protect you entirely from a brain injury.

It looks as if skitching is here to stay, especially considering the number of skaters out there who believe they skate better than they walk.

Officials say that 2011 proved to be a deadly in terms of car accidents in New Jersey. The number of fatalities from motor vehicle accidents in the Garden State hit a four year high last year. In all, 594 fatal car accidents were tallied. New Jersey State Police say that 635 people were killed in those accidents on New Jerseys roads in 2011.

While drivers comprised the highest number of overall fatalities, numbering 371, pedestrians were killed at a higher rate than were passengers in motor vehicles. State police say 144 people were killed in pedestrian accidents and 103 passengers died in motor vehicle accidents last year. Seventeen people were the victim of fatal bicycle accidents in New Jersey last year.

State Police say seat belt use has grown tremendously among drivers and front seat passengers in motor vehicles. But officials also say that seat belt use could be higher, especially for passengers in the back seat of cars on New Jersey’s roads. The state Division of Highway Traffic Safety said in a survey released last August that seat belt use among drivers and front seat passengers in New Jersey grew to 94.51 percent last year from 93.73 percent two years ago. Only 61 percent of back seat passengers used a seat belt last year, according to the survey.

Not surprisingly, state police remain concerned over the dangers presented by such issues as drunk driving and distracted driving. A spokesman for the New Jersey State Police says distracted driving caused by electronic devices continue to cause New Jersey drivers to take their eyes off the road, so now not even DUI can be the reason for accidents.

The state police say drivers who take their eyes off the road to glance at their cellphones often can be involved in car accidents. The quick glance toward the electronic device can make the split-second difference between a car accident and a close call on the road, according to the state police. The law enforcement agency spokesman says “Driving while operating a mobile device is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.”

Authorities say a Subaru ran out of gas on the Garden State Parkway Monday night around 10:00 p.m. The car had stalled in the far right lane. An Egg Harbor man on a motorcycle slammed into the rear of the disabled Subaru. An off-duty police officer arrived at the scene of the initial accident and assisted the two women who were in the Subaru to safety after the motorcycle accident. Then a chain reaction multi-vehicle crash began and was likely due to DUI in Miami.

Authorities say a teenager in a Lincoln Town Car slammed into the abandoned Subaru. A Ford Explorer then came up from behind and crashed into the Lincoln. The 17-year-old driver of the Lincoln scurried out of the wreckage just before the Town Car burst into flames.

The teenager and the driver of the Ford each miraculously escaped personal injury in the multi-vehicle GSP car accident. The two women in the Subaru suffered injuries when the motorcycle crashed into the disabled car. The driver, a 56-year-old woman, and her 75-year-old female passenger were taken to Southern Ocean Medical Center after the accident. Each were treated and released from the hospital.

The motorcyclist was originally transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center after the accident. However, authorities say the 23-year-old Egg Harbor resident from the motorcycle was transferred by helicopter to Atlantic City Medical Center as a precautionary measure. The rider was reportedly ejected from the bike in the accident with the Subaru. Authorities say the motorcyclist received minor injuries. Public news reports do not indicate the biker’s medical condition.

A horrific accident created some chaos Wednesday evening in Jersey City. Authorities say the driver who caused the car accident was under the influence of alcohol and will likely need a DUI lawyer. That driver walked away from the scene and was taken into custody by police at a nearby location. The car accident left two Jersey City residents dead and another person suffered personal injuries.
Law enforcement says a 34-year-old man, high on drugs, drove at high speed in the area of Grove and Grand streets in Jersey City Wednesday evening. The man GMC slammed into a taxicab and plowed that vehicle onto the sidewalk, where a 41-year-old man was making his way home from work. The cab exploded into flames with the cab driver and his fare still inside the taxi. Chefs from a nearby restaurant jumped into action.
The restaurant workers grabbed all of the establishment’s fire extinguishers and rushed to the fiery wreck. The workers frantically tried to assist the passenger, who was trapped in the back seat of the cab. The 44-year-old Jersey City resident, husband, and father, had just celebrated his birthday the day before the crash.
The restaurant employees frantically reached for the man’s arms through the flames, and spent all five of the extinguishers in a valiant effort to save the accident victim from the burning vehicle. The heat from the flames was too severe and the chefs from the nearby restaurant were not able to save the man in the back of the cab. The passenger had severe burns over his entire body and died at Jersey City Medical Center.
The 41-year-old man who was walking home was killed by the crushing blow from the pedestrian accident. He too leaves behind a family, including his wife and his 4-year-old son. The cab driver suffered personal injuries, but authorities say the driver’s injuries were not serious.
The man who police say caused the accident walked away from the crash. He began talking to an officer nearby. That officer noticed the man’s eyes appeared glassy and he was slurring his speech. Police arrested the man on Tacoma DWI charges in relation to the double-fatal car and pedestrian accident.

Two people were injured Monday morning in a two vehicle collision, according to Mahwah police. Authorities say a 22-year-old New City man, driving a Honda, crashed into an SUV driven by a 43-year-old Oakland, New Jersey, woman. Both drivers required treatment at area hospitals, however, Mahwah police say that the male driver suffered more serious injuries in the head-on crash.

The Route 202 Pennsylvania car accident was first reported shortly after 9:00 a.m. Monday. The man from New City was pulled from the wreckage. Law enforcement says the man had no pulse. Emergency responders used a defibrillator at the scene and were able to find a pulse.

The Ramapo student was first transported in a Mahwah ambulance to Ramapo College, where he was transferred to a helicopter for transport to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center. Authorities say that the man sustained critical injuries in the wreck. The hospital did not release details of the injuries, other than to say that they are critical and medical personnel worked in efforts to stabilize the patient.

The Oakland woman was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern with neck, chest and back pain.

Police say that the two vehicles “hit almost frame to frame head-on,” in the Route 202 car accident. Both vehicles were severely damaged. The two people involved in the accident suffered serious personal injuries.

Two passenger vehicles and a commercial cement truck collided Wednesday in Bernardsville injuring two women and leaving the 36-year-old truck driver dead. Authorities had flown the truck driver to Morristown Medical Center after rescuing him from the overturned cement truck. However, the truck driver died sometime after leaving the accident scene.

Two women from Bedminster reportedly were sole occupants in each of the two passenger vehicles. The two women sustained personal injuries in the commercial truck accident.

The cement truck and two car accident occurred shortly after 10:00 a.m. Wednesday on Route 202. Two of the drivers were trapped inside their vehicles due to the crumpled metal. The truck driver and a 24-year-old woman had to be rescued their vehicles after the accident.

A third driver, a 53-year-old woman from Bedminster was able to get out of her car under her own power. She received treatment for her injuries at both the accident scene and in Morristown. She was released from the hospital Wednesday.

The two drivers who had to be extricated from their vehicles were flown to Morristown Medical Center. The condition of the 24-year-old Bedminster woman remains unknown.

Local police from several area communities, firefighters and state officials all provided assistance in the aftermath of the tragic crash. An investigation into the accident was immediately launched and authorities closed Route 202 to gather information and clear the scene. The roadway was closed throughout the afternoon, reopening around 6:00 Wednesday evening.

News reports have not disclosed details of what may have happened in causing the serious accident. The investigation remains open.